Bowe released to US
1:51

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl: Troops Question Prisoner Swap
2:11

The Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, Talibran prisoner swap, is unpopular among some U.S. soldiers who question the wisdom of a five-to-one exchange. A soldier who served along side him accuses Sgt. Bergdahl of desertion. What do we know about Sgt. Bergdahl's disappearance, capture, and rescue? WSJ's Jason Bellini has #TheShortAnswer.

WSJ Live

03 Jun 2014

News/USA

Freed ... US POW Sgt Bowe Bergdahl sits waiting to be taken away from his Taliban captors in a helicopter. Picture: Muhammad Lila / TwitterSource: Supplied

THE Taliban has released a video of the release of US Army POW Bowe Bergdahl after five years in captivity.

The footage was released after it emerged the US finally committed to trading five Taliban chiefs for the soldier amid mounting concern for his deteriorating health.

And in latest breaking news this morning, there are reports Bergdahl’s hometown in Idaho has cancelled his homecoming celebration amid mounting political controversy over his release, with accusations he was a deserter or, worse, a traitor.

Sergeant Bergdahl is shown on the video being patted down for bombs or weapons and a plastic bag that contains his only possessions is tossed away by his rescuers. Then, after less than a minute on the ground, the helicopter to take him to safety lifts away again for an American base, and subtitles flash across the screen: “Don’t come back to afghanistan [sic]”

The video starts with images of Guantanamo prison and the arrival in Qatar of five detainees who were exchanged for the American hostage.

“Next time, nobody will release you,” one of the gun-toting militants is heard telling Bergdahl in the 17-minute video.

It shows a US military helicopter landing in a valley, kicking up small clouds of dust as a jittery-looking Bergdahl waits just a few feet away flanked by militants clutching a white flag.

After a brief exchange of handshakes between insurgents and US soldiers, Bergdahl moves unsteadily towards the helicopter.

A male voiceover in the video — laced with religious music and chants of “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest) — said the exchange occurred in the eastern Afghan province of Khost.

“The Americans contacted us and asked us where was a good place to meet. We contacted tribal elders to come and join us, because we do not trust them (Americans),” the voiceover said.

“I congratulate all the mujahideen for this victory.” The authenticity of the video could not be independently verified by AFP. US defence officials have said dozens of US special forces troops backed up by helicopters were sent for the handover.

The latest footage from the Taliban comes after two secret videos showing a rapid slump in Sgt Bergdahl’s health persuaded military and intelligence leaders to reluctantly support the prisoner swap, the Wall Street Journal reports.

A secret intelligence analysis, based on a comparison of Taliban videos of Sgt Bergdahl in captivity in 2011 and December 2013 provided to the US, found that the soldier’s rate of deterioration was accelerating.

“To see him like that, we knew we had to move quickly,” a senior US official told the newspaper.

Held by the Taliban ... US soldier Bowe Robert Bergdahl in an earlier video posted by his captors.Source: AFP

Freedom, greeted by a mixed reception ... a sign showing support for Sgt Bowe Bergdahl in his home town of Hailey, Idaho.Source: AFP

The issue has been a political hot potato for the Obama Administration, which reportedly expected the rescue of Bergdahl would largely be seen as a success and has been stunned by the backlash.

Sgt Bergdahl’s rapid deterioration of health convinced key officials previously against any prisoner exchange, including Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.

“Like others, DNI Clapper expressed concerns in 2012 about the prospect of releasing these five detainees” to Qatar, DNI spokesman Shawn Turner said of the Taliban exchange prisoners. “However, the circumstances have changed dramatically.”

Turner said the intelligence agencies had “evidence that Sgt. Bergdahl’s health was failing and that he was in desperate need of medical attention.”

He added that Clapper also decided to support the exchange because of the planned drawdown of US forces wo have been fighting Taliban terrorists in Afghanistan, which meant fewer resources would have been available to locate Sgt. Bergdahl.

Likewise, Mr. Clapper was “satisfied with assurances from the Qatari government that these five individuals will be closely monitored and subject to travel restrictions,” Turner said.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that Congress should have been consulted before Sgt. Bergdahl was exchanged for the Taliban detainees.

President Barack Obama, speaking in Warsaw, Poland, said questions about Sgt. Bergdahl’s disappearance — which some soldiers said they believe amounted to treachery and desertion — will be answered.

“Regardless of the circumstances, whatever those circumstances may turn out to be, we still get an American soldier back if he’s held in captivity,” Mr. Obama said. “Period. Full stop. We don’t condition that.”

White House officials tried to appease angry lawmakers by offering a private briefing. Feinstein said she heard no evidence that Sgt Bergdahl was in immediate medical danger that made it necessary to act without consulting Congress.

“There certainly was time to pick up the phone and call and say ‘I know you all had concerns about this, we consulted in the past, we want you to know we have reviewed these negotiations,’” she said, adding that a White House official called to apologise for not providing more notice to Congress.

House Speaker John Boehner in a statement said, “The administration has invited serious questions into how this exchange went down and the calculations the White House and relevant agencies made in moving forward without consulting Congress.”

Possible deals to free Sgt Bergdahl had been made before.

Former Defenve Secretary Leon Panetta rejected a possible deal in early 2012, citing inadequate measures to ensure security over the transferred detainees.

Three things changed between the time Panetta rejected the arrangement and Hagel signed it — Sgt Bergdahl’s health assessment, additional security assurances from Qatar, and the realisation that Sgt Bergdahl’s value as a prisoner was declining as his health deteriorated and US troops pulled out of Afghanistan.

“We believe they saw Bergdahl as a golden egg. That is why they kept him alive and as healthy as possible. But as he deteriorated, some people believe he became more of a burden to them,” the US official said. “And as the war was ending some of them [Taliban] came to doubt his value. He was more of a liability as his health declined.”

In another measure to try to quell the growing furore among military enlisters and former service members over Sgt. Bergdahl’s capture after leaving his base on June 30, 2009, the Army said it is launching a second review of the circumstances of Sgt Bergdahl’s disappearance.

Its first inquiry, shortly after Sgt Bergdahl’s capture, reportedly concluded he left the small outpost in eastern Afghanistan of his own accord.

At the time, then-Pfc. Bergdahl left the base with little more than water, a knife, a camera and a compass, according to people familiar with the Army investigation. He left behind his weapon and body armour.

Being treated in a military hospital ... The US Army’s Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl from an old military image.Source: AP

The first review included accounts of soldiers who have questioned Sgt Bergdahl’s intentions, but it drew no conclusions about why the young soldier left the base that night. “Nowhere in the report does it say ‘deserter’ or that he deserted,” a military official said.

Secretary of the Army John McHugh said the military is glad Sgt Bergdahl is free but that investigators will take a closer look at the case.

“The warrior ethos is more than words, and we should never leave a comrade behind,” Mr. McHugh said in a statement.

The Army plans to question Sgt Bergdahl about his disappearance “in a comprehensive, coordinated effort” that will determine whether or not to take any action against him.

General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in a Facebook post: “As for the circumstances of his capture, when he is able to provide them, we’ll learn the facts.”

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